ffsim

So you're saying it could be aircraft-specific

superangrypenguin

Haha In all seriousness, every single airplane I've ever been on, the FA/SD had control of the temperature.

I think the comment about going to the flight crew was someone getting told "no", in a nice way

After Burner

Good question. Planes that I know can be controlled by passengers in the cabin and overridden in the cockpit.

Cabin heat comes from engine bleed air. Demand on this air can vary. It's used for pressurization, heating the wings for ice protection and for cooling the engines. If demand for cabin heat is high it could compete with demand for more critical uses (e.g. ice protection). So I would be very surprised if there wasn't full control in the cockpit.

gcashin

I believe it is aircraft specific. I'm told from an FA friend that the temperature controls on 737's are in the cockpit, so FA's have to ask the flight deck for temperature adjustments. I also recall something about the QK DH1/DH3 being controlled by the pilots as well.

superangrypenguin

But.....umm, AC doesn't have any 737's yet. So....for now, AC crew have, AFAIK, total control on AC cabin temps.

ffsim

Thanks gcashin and After Burner (for the lesson on bleed air, too). I don't remember which aircraft I was on when I overhead the conversation, but it seems likely that, at the very least, the "master" or "override" control is in the cockpit.

Stranger

Except, it was not all that accurate. There was some exchange on bleed air earlier in this thread. Used for pressurization, really, heating being another story. Probably too much of it.

The other detail of course, the 787 did away with bleed air. Uses mechanically compressed air, with an electrically driven compressor. Bleeding air from the engine is not a great idea engine efficiencywise. Because it makes engine operation rather unpredictable.

AC681

Here's how the cabin temperature works on the various QK planes.

DH1/3. Cabin temp controlled from flight deck, a few planes have limited control from the cabin ( really limited +/- 3degrees F). They also don't have APUs so are reliant on ground coolers/heaters. Thats why you get that period of about 5min where the cabin gets super stuffy, the planes own heating/cooling system only kicks in once both engines are running.

Q400 - Cabin temperature controlled from the cabin. Plane also has an APU so is generally ok on the ground. Optimal temp seems to be around 20-22 degrees C, I generally keep it around 19. Tends to be a bit colder rows 1-3 and row 19

CR2 - Cabin temperature controlled from flight deck. System is also a bit dumb, pilots cant set a particular cabin temp, they can only pick the air temp the system is putting out. If they get busy and arn't keeping an eye on the cabin temp, it takes a call from me to fix it. Im told idea temp is 24.

CRA - Cabin temperature controlled from flight deck. This plane is a nightmare for us when it comes to figuring temp out. Unlike other planes its length, it only has one temperature zone for the whole cabin. J-Class and the galley are generally *freezing* which makes me happy, however I'm odd. then rows 13-18 are generally a decent temp, 19-22 (around exit rows) are cold again. 23-25 are good then 26-28 are quite warm. So we're always faced with a bit of a challenge and a decision, Freeze J class or boil the back of the cabin? A good front end crew will be constantly fiddling with the cabin temp to try and keep it reasonably uniform throughout the cabin. Its also why we don't always close the curtain between J/Y, leaving it open seems to help with airflow, and less J class freezing.

canadiancow

So we're now 2 for 2 for FAs/SDs wanting it as cold as possible. Good to know.

ffsim

I wonder what the consensus would be among flyers. I'd expect people would prefer it on the cooler side because it's generally easier to bundle up than strip down. Lest we end up with a pantsless nomad.

Thanks for the explanation AC681!

gcashin

Agreed - great explanation, AC681. Good to know some of the background on the temperature challenges on QK planes.

I'd put in another vote for cooler cabins. I generally try to wear a polo shirt as much as I can while I'm flying, as I usually find aircraft cabins too hot to wear anything more bulky, even though I may prefer to wear a long sleeve shirt/sport jacket, etc.

After Burner

That's certainly the consensus among Canadian flyers.

Way upthread, someone jokingly noted that this is such a uniquely Canadian subject. A while ago a friend, from Hawaii, told me about the only two experiences she had travelling on Canadian airlines. One was YVR-OGG on WS and the other was CDG-YYZ on AC. She swore she would never travel on a Canadian airline again because they keep their cabins so unbearably cold.

I agree that the cooler side of the comfort level is better than the hotter side.

yyznomad

Deplaned AC832 YULBRU a couple hours ago... now at my downtown hotel.

For once, on a 333, I did not sweat my balls off. I was actually dry the entire flight.